The Joker, The Mobster, and the Little Girl
by Nosedivefan01
Summary: It was the last day of school for the seniors, and Charlie was so ready to get out, until her teacher is murdered right in front of her. Who is the murderer and what does it have to do with Charlie? Rated M just in case i get carried away
1. Chapter 1

The teenager walked into the High School, or really the young woman. She was eighteen after all, just about to graduate in a little less than two weeks. It was Wednesday, but it was the last day for seniors. She had already packed up most of her contents of her locker the previous day. Now all she had was her back pack, a check out sheet, and all the text books and a calculator she had to return to the school to be able to check out and be gone for good.

"Hey Charlie!" Charlie's brown hair swished as she turned to see who had called her name. Her friend Victoria stood there, grinning like an idiot. Her short blond hair perfect as ever, with the slight aroma of hairspray keeping it in place.

"Hey Tori." Charlie replied, opening the door to their homeroom class.

"So, today's kind of pointless, isn't it?" Tori muttered, rolling her blue eyes.

"Pretty much. We turn in a text book and sit here, reading a book." Charlie received an annoyed look from Tori.

"Okay, well _I'll_ be reading a book while you play on the computer." she added.

"Much better." Tori praised. "So, what are you-" Tori's question was cut off by someone calling Charlie's name, or rather her last name.

"Ms. Garrison?" Charlie glanced at the door to see a teacher standing there. He looked as if he was trying to keep calm, but sweat beading around his face said otherwise.

"Mr. Taber? Is something wrong?" she asked him, standing up and walking over to him.

"I um... need to see you in my office. Please." He turned, automatically expecting her to follow. Charlie glanced back at Tori, who shrugged her shoulders, before following him.

Once in his office, he sat down in his chair. He did not relax, he just leaned forward until she sat down.

"What's this about, Mr. Taber?" she asked, not really sure why she was there.

"Charlie. I don't know how to tell you this." he started. She saw the worry in his eyes and she became very concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Somebody-" before he could barely even finish the word, she heard glass break and almost at the same time, Mr. Taber's body pitched to the floor.

"Mr. Taber?" she asked, standing cautiously and moving around the desk. When she looked down, she saw a hole in the back of his head with blood spilling out of it.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, running out of his office.

* * *

The police car pulled up to the curb. A rather tall man in a brown trench coat stepped out. He had square glasses and white hair.

"Bullock, what's the story?" he asked, walking with his partner up the steps of the school. The students were in lock down inside. All the window shades were pulled, and no one was to leave the building.

"Well, a teacher was shot in the back of his head while in his office. Looks to be the work of a sniper." Bullock explained.

"Any witnesses?" The Commissioner asked after they had already entered the building.

"Uh, yeah. Looks like an eighteen year old female..." Bullock said, reading from his notepad. Gordon stopped, looking up to see a female senior sitting next to the principal's office, a blanket around her shoulders as she sipped at something in a Styrofoam cup.

"Miss?" Gordon said, coming up to her. She looked at him, her gaze almost blank. Her skin was a pale ghostly color.

"Yes?" she finally croaked.

"Are you the witness?" he asked her.

"I am." she said, her senses seeming to come back to her a little at a time.

"Are you able to come downtown with us for questioning?" he asked her. She only nodded.

"Alright. I'm Commissioner Jim Gordon." he introduced, trying to make her more comfortable.

"Charlotte Garrison." she murmured, standing up. She looked back to make sure the secretary saw her. She had and she waved to her that it was okay that she left. They had been expecting the cops any minute and the staff had already planned on them taking her for questioning.

As they walked outside, reporters had finally started to gather.

"Commissioner Gordon, what happened here today?" he ignored the question.

"commissioner, there's rumor that a man was killed here today. Is that true?" again, he ignored them.

He got Charlie in the front seat of his car before going around to the driver's side.

"Sorry about that. They get pretty nosy when things like this happen." he apologized.

"It's okay." Charlie said, staring out the window. She was scared, confused, and most of all really wanted to know what Mr. Taber was going to say before his untimely death.

* * *

Michael was working profusely at his desk. He had to finish filing these shipments tonight, or his boss wasn't going to be too happy. Getting into the mob was easy. Pleasing the boss? A whole other story. He was on good terms with his boss, though. In fact he had worked himself to the top fairly well, even being on a first name basis with Sal. He sighed out, glancing at the clock. By the time he got home, his little girl would already be up and getting ready to school. Maybe already be heading to school. The shipment had had some complications, and it hadn't arrived until two that night. Somebody had gone through and marked down the crates that had arrived and now it was Michael's job to go through this list and enter in the serial numbers and codes and make sure all the crates were accounted for. He yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Tired, Michael?" Sal walked in, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, no. Just... you know, finishing up this report." he said, going back to what he was doing.

"Michael, I know when you're tired." Sal said knowingly.

"I know, boss. But don't worry, I'm not leaving until the work's done." he promised as any good employee would.

Sal smiled. "That's what I like about you Michael. You're hard working. How far do you have left to go?" Sal asked rhetorically as he glanced at the paper for himself.

"mmm... I know all of them are accounted for, Michael. Go ahead and finish out this page. The rest can wait til tomorrow. Go on home." Sal said.

"You sure, boss?" Michael asked, not wanting to get blame later when Sal realized how nice he was being.

"I'm sure. Go home to your family." Sal said, smiling as he walked away.

Michael sighed with relief. It was nice sometimes, being on the boss's good side. He finished up the report, saved his work, pulled the disk out, and shut off the computer.

By the time he had gotten home, his daughter was already up and getting ready for school, as he expected. He was so tired, he could barely wish her a good day before laying down and passing out on his bed. He'd make it up to her later. Right now, he needed sleep.

* * *

"So, go ahead and describe in detail what happened." The commissioner said, sitting across the table from Charlie.

"Well, Mr. Taber called me into his office. He was acting strange and kind of shifty. He sat me down and said he didn't know how to tell me something. But before he could say anything else, he just... collapsed." she looked away, not wanting to think of it anymore.

"Any idea what he might have been trying to say?" The commissioner asked. She shook her head. She was so confused by everything that had happened today.

"But, he said somebody... I don't know who and I don't know what. I don't know if somebody was trying to get him. Trying to get me. If somebody won a tennis tournament... I have no idea what he was trying to say... but, his tone sounded as if he was trying to warn me of something."

"Um, Charlie. Does.. um, did Mr. Taber... like, what did he do at the school?" The commissioner finally asked.

"He was English teacher and, along with that he was kind of a secretary. At the end of the day, all the tardies or attendance went through him... kind of were reported to him. He had everyone on file. Every student." she kind of explained, trying to remember exactly what Mr. Taber was in charge of when he wasn't teaching English.

"He had access to student files?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Bullock, run back over to Gotham High and see if any student files are missing."

"But that could take all day!" Bullock exclaimed.

"Then I guess you better get started." The commissioner replied, kind of almost smirking.

Bullock kind of muttered something before storming off.

"He's right. It could take a while. Would you like some coffee?" The commissioner asked.

She smiled. "Actually, a cup of tea would be fantastic."


	2. Chapter 2

The man paced back and forth in the make shift office in the warehouse.

"Where is he!" he growled. His men shrunk back.

"Maybe he's covering tracks. You know, so it doesn't lead back to you." said one of his stooges helpfully.

"This guy doesn't cover tracks. He doesn't care. Maybe he's making it look like he did it, though." said the man thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

"Well, boss, he did do it." said the other stooge bluntly. The boss glared, reaching back his arm and before the stooge knew what was happening, he punched him in the face.

"Dammit, Lenny, I know that!" said the boss stubbornly.

"Tony! What's going on, ol chum!" they hadn't even heard the clown walk in. A white face grinned back at all of them.

"You took a while..." Tony commented. Lenny stood up, rubbing his chin.

"I had to make sure he didn't spill the beans to young Charlie." Joker said, although Harley was the one who walked in holding the rifle.

"Did he?" Tony asked carefully.

"Nope. Don't worry about it, Tony! Nobody knows we stole her file."

* * *

"Commissioner, I found out who's file they stole. You're not going to like it." Bullock said, calling the Commissioner. He silently thanked whatever god there was that Charlie's last name started with a G instead of a Z.

"Charlie's" The commissioner said knowingly. "I was afraid of that."

"What we gonna do, Commish?" Bullock asked, stunned.

"We've got no choice. If they stole her files, it could be possible they were looking for an address. We gotta make sure nobody's at that address when whoever took her file goes snooping around."

"So... we're gonna put her in a safe house?" Bullock asked.

"Bingo. I'll talk to ya later Bullock." The commissioner hung up the phone and turned around in his chair.

"Bruce, old friend, I apologize in advanced for this..."

* * *

The phone rang in the old mansion. Alfred hurried himself over to the phone.

"Wayne manor." he said, answering. His eyes widened a little.

"Oh my. Well, I can assure you she'd be quite safe here. Let me fetch Mr. Wayne for you." Alfred said, setting the phone down.

Dick walked by at that moment.

"What's going on?" Dick asked.

"We may be having a guest..." Alfred trailed off, hurrying off to the den. He informed Bruce of the phone call, and he picked the phone up that sat next to him.

"Hello?"

"Why hello Commissioner. Yes. Uh huh. I don't see a problem with it. We've got plenty of room and she'll be safe here. Who would think to look for her here?" Bruce said, chuckling.

"Yes. Yes. we'll see you later tonight then. Yup. Bye." Bruce hung up the phone and looked up to see Dick standing there, looking dazed.

"Okay, Bruce. What's going on?"

"We're having a guest."

"Yeah, Al already told me that. Who is it?" he asked, hating being left out of the loop.

"It's Charlotte Garrison." Bruce said in wonder.

"Oh my god, I remember seeing something about that on breaking news earlier today. She witnessed a shooting." Dick informed.

"Yes. Her file was also stolen."

"For what?" Dick wondered.

"That's what Batman's going to find out tonight." Bruce promised.

* * *

The commissioner drove to Charlie's house with her. Charlie gulped, hoping her dad wasn't too well known for the commissioner to know who he was on sight. She didn't think he was, and that was the only reason she was going to let the commissioner come into her house. They walked in the front door.

"He's, um, probably asleep. He works nights." Charlie explained. "I'll go see if he's in his room."

The commissioner looked around the open area Charlie had left him in. Some pictures hung on the wall here and there. A man, a woman and a little girl. The woman in the pictures looked like a much older version of Charlie, and there was no doubt in his mind that this woman was Charlie's mother. But when Charlie ran off, she said "he". Gordon wondered what happened to Charlie's mom, but decided he would leave that alone.

Charlie walked into the dark bedroom. Her dad had hung blankets over the windows so that while he was trying to sleep the sun wouldn't bother him.

"Dad?" she said, coming up next to him and shaking his arm. He shot awake, looking at her.

"Charlie, sweetie. Ugh, what time is it?" he asked sleepily.

"Sorry dad, it's just barely noon. Dad, something happened at school. I need to go to a witness protection house for a couple of days." she explained. "The commissioners in the living room. I didn't tell him anything about your work. He doesn't know. All he knows is we came here for me to pack a bag and say goodbye to my dad." she explained further so her dad would be ready.

Michael sat up in his bed, yawning. He pulled a shirt on, staying in the sweats he had worn to bed.

"Go pack a bag, sweetie. I'm going to go talk to the commissioner." he said. She nodded, heading off down the hallway towards her room.

He walked out, still sleepy eyed.

"Ah, Mr. Garrison." The commissioner said, extending his hand to shake Michael's.

"Michael, please." her dad said, extending his arm out to lead to the commissioner to have a seat on the couch. For having no woman in the house, the house was actually well kept. Of course, Charlie was technically the woman of the house since her mom was gone, and she didn't do too poorly of a job.

"So, Michael, I suppose Charlie explained a little bit about what's going on."

"A little. If you could elaborate, that would be great."

"Michael, there was a shooting at the school. A teacher was shot and killed by a sniper while talking to Charlie. We just learned that somebody stole her files from the school and have no doubt that it's the same person who killed the teacher. We assume that they stole the files to have her address. Michael, she's going to go to a safe house. It's not required by you at all, but it might be safe to check into a hotel for a few days." The commissioner tried.

Michael let this all sink in for a minute.

"Yes. Alright. I guess I should be packing a bag also then." Michael said, standing up. The commissioner stood up with him.

"I'll be out of the house before tonight." Michael said. The commissioner sighed.

"It's for the best, I'm sure. I know how hard this must be, but don't worry, as soon as this case is wrapped up, you'll have your little girl back."

"commissioner, you're right. It will be hard. I don't get to see much of my daughter anyways." Michael looked back at the commissioner and he saw tears welling up in his eyes. "So, if you could, I would really appreciate it if you could wrap this up as quickly as possible."

The commissioner nodded. "You can guarantee, we'll do our best."


	3. Chapter 3

Charlie had been staring off into space when the car stopped moving. She glanced up seeing a huge house sitting in front of her.

"This is a house?" she asked, stepping out of the car, her bag on her shoulder. The commissioner chuckled, nodding.

Finest house in the city. Wayne manor." The commissioner explained.

"As in Bruce Wayne?" she asked. He nodded.

"I didn't know Bruce Wayne's house was considered a safe house." she said, trailing off.

"Well, that's kind of the point. it's off record for a reason, Charlie." The commissioner said. Charlie nodded in admittance.

They walked up to the big door and the commissioner gave a knock. The door was opened by a man wearing a suit and holding a tray.

"Good evening Commissioner. Ah, you must be ms. Garrison." The man said, and Charlie got the impression that this man was a butler.

"Bruce Wayne has a butler?" Charlie exclaimed, walking inside after the commissioner.

"Miss, I have served the Waynes since before master Bruce's time."

"Oh. Cool." she mused, walking further in and letting the vastness of the house sink in. She might like it here, she could already tell.

"Master Bruce is waiting for you in the den." the butler said, letting them lead themselves there. It occured to Charlie that the commissioner seemed to know his way around here, for the most part.

"Commissioner. Good to see you again." the man in the den said, setting down his newspaper and standing up to shake hands with the commissioner. His hair was black as night, and he looked very fit. There was no doubt in her mind that this must be Mr. Bruce Wayne.

"And you must be Charlotte." Bruce said, turning his attention to her.

"I go by Charlie, actually." she corrected, but not being rude she took his hand in a handshake.

"Please, please. Have a seat." Bruce welcomed. They both sat on the sofa across from him.

"Thanks for doing this, Bruce." The commissioner began.

"Always happy to help." Bruce said.

The commissioner and Bruce made small friendly talk. It was obvious to Charlie that the commissioner and Bruce must go way back as friends, or old acquaintances. Something, anyways. She wanted to get up, go upstairs and figure out which room she would be staying in while she was here. No doubt this mansion was filled with unused rooms. But, the friendly polite side of her knew to sit and be polite until the men finished talking.

"Well, as much as I'd love to sit here and chat, I am on the clock and there's still work to be done." The commissioner finally said, standing up.

"Well, it was good seeing you again Jim." Bruce said, shaking his hand.

With that, Gordon helped himself out of the house and soon was gone, leaving Bruce and Charlie standing at the entrance to the den.

"So, I suppose you're just excited to see which room you're going to get?" Bruce asked. Charlie smiled and nodded.

"Sure am, sir." she said, slinging her bag back over her shoulder.

Bruce guided her up the stairs. The only direction you could go once you were at the top was left. They walked past four or five doors before Bruce finally came to a stop.

"This will be your room. If you should need anything, Dick's room is on your right. Alfred, you met earlier. His room is another room down on your left." Bruce explained.

"Who's Dick?" she asked suddenly, cocking her head slightly to the right.

"Hey Bruce. Uh, who's this?" her question seemed to answer itself as a strapping young man bounded up the stairs towards them. He actually had the same color hair as Bruce, but was way younger.

"Charlie. Charlie Garrison. Nice to meet you." Charlie said, extending a hand. Dick took it, grinning.

"Dick Grayson. So, you're the new inmate?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Dick..." Bruce partly scolded. "It's not that bad here."

"It's not. I'm just messing with ya. Welcome to the manor though." Dick finally said.

"Thanks." she said.

"So, you hungry?" Dick asked.

* * *

Michael rummaged around, packing a bag. He figured he'd be able to work from the hotel just fine. He went ahead and just booked a room for a week just so he had less paperwork to deal with. He figured if the case took longer than a week, he'd just add the nights on as it went.

Finally, he was able to check into the hotel. He got on the phone and dialed up Sal.

"Hey, it's Mike."

"Michael, I wondered when I might hear from you."

"Listen, Sal, we've got a problem. Someone stole my daughter's file from the high school. Police are all over it." he said.

"Oh, I see?"

"They don't know anything about my line of work and far as I know, you're in the clear. However, that means I've gotta be careful the next couple of weeks so I don't lead anyone back to you." Michael explained. "I have a feeling whoever stole my daughter's file did it to try to get to me." he added.

"Michael, as much as I hate to agree... I think you might be right. Is she safe?" Sal asked and Michael was partially surprised Sal even cared about his family.

"The police took her to a safe house. I don't know where, but it's probably for the better. I'm at a hotel. I can still work if you need me to, but that just means doing a few extra things to make sure nobody follows me to you."

"No, Michael. Don't worry about it. We'll make it without you. Lay low. I'd rather have you lay low and not work than have you work and accidentally lead someone back here. Call me when the heat's off."

"I will. Thanks Sal. Bye."

Michael sighed with relief. For a mob boss, Sal was actually pretty cool. He knew that if he had ended up with anyone else, the outcome could have been way different. If he had worked for the penguin, the penguin would have probably killed his daughter. No distractions. If it had been Two-Face, he would have flipped a coin to decide if she should die or not for this minor set back. Of all the different mobs and mob bosses, he was glad he ended up with Sal.

* * *

Bruce and Dick sat at the table while Charlie went over her story.

"And then he was... just gone." she said, describing her point of view of the shooting.

"And you didn't see anybody around?" Bruce asked.

"Nope. Snipers can shoot from anywhere, Bruce. Definitely wasn't anywhere in sight"

"Geez. I don't know what I would have done if I had been in your shoes, Charlie." Dick said, trying to sympathize with her.

She just looked down before yawning.

"I um. I think I'm actually kind of tired. May I turn in for the night?" she asked, looking at Bruce.

He nodded. As she stood up, he said, "and you don't need to ask permission." she smiled at him before turning and walking away.

"Geez, Bruce. How do ya suppose she isn't scarred from this?" Dick asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. Why do you suppose who ever did this wanted her file?" he added to Dick's question.

"Well, since she's already turned in for the night, I'm going to head to work." Bruce said, and Dick knew what he was talking about.

Dick followed him down to the batcave. As Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, they sat the Bat computer and started typing in information. Anything to try to get a lead.

They started with Charlotte Garrison. They got her date of birth, hair color, eye color, and then her parents names popped up.

"Maria Garrison. I recognize that name." Bruce commented, clicking on her mother's profile. It popped up deceased. A beautiful woman's picture popped up, looking like an exact replica of Charlie, only older.

"Oh my god." Dick trailed off, reading the information.

"Dick, go upstairs." Bruce said, turning him away.

"Uh huh. I'm sticking around for this one. For my parents and for Charlie." Dick said, turning towards the robin suit.

Bruce sighed out, looking back at the trouble sentence in the paragraph from the newspaper clipping about Maria Garrison's death.

"notorious mobster Anthony Zucco is thought to be the murderer of Maria Garrison".

"I'm going to make him pay for everything he's ever done in his life." Dick said, placing the mask over his eyes. Bruce stood up.

"Dick, remember what happened last time."

"You made me sit out cause you thought I was weak! You thought I wouldn't be able to handle myself in the field!"

"No! God almighty, that is not why I made you sit it out!"

"That's what you said! You were afraid that he'd take me! You thought I was too weak to hold my own!"

"Would you shut up and listen, Dick! I told you to sit it out because even if you're the best out there, we're not guaranteed to come back. I made you sit out because even if you were taking his men out left and right, I didn't want him to fire a stray bullet and have it..." Bruce trailed off, turning away from Dick. He was shaking from the emotions. Dick eased up, coming to rest a hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"Hey. I get it, boss. But that's why I want to go. Cause I can't stand the thought of what might have happened to you last time had I not shown up when I did." Dick reasoned. Bruce turned back to face him. A light smile crossed his face.

"Together. As a team." Bruce finally said. Dick nodded.

"Well I'm glad you two are getting better at settling your differences without me." Alfred said, coming out of the shadows. Bruce smirked at the old man.

"Al, will you keep an eye on Charlie?" Bruce asked as he went over to the batsuit.

"Well, who else do you expect to do so?" Alfred said matter of factly.

As Bruce dawned the cowl, he went back over to the batcomputer.

"What are you doing, Bruce? We know Zucco killed her mom. We know he has to be the one who stole her file." Dick said impatiently.

"Hold on. Why did he steal her file? Why did he kill her mother in the first place?" Batman said, typing in a few things and going back to her father.

"Michael Garrison. Works for mobster Sal Maroni." Batman read aloud.

"Wait. Didn't Zucco..."

"yes. Zucco was working under Sal when he... was trying to get protection money from the circus." Batman didn't want to go into it too much. "That didn't settle too well with Sal. I still don't know why, but he was so angry with Zucco for causing unnecessary deaths that he threatened Zucco's life. I still don't know why Sal let him live. Usually when the mob kicks someone out, it's for good. For whatever reason, Sal just basically warned Zucco to get out and stay out."

"I don't get it. What does that have to do with Charlie?"

"I have a feeling we need to talk to Charlie's dad." Batman muttered, standing up.

Dick was still reading the link when he heard the batmobile start. He turned around, expecting to see the mobile driving off without him. Nope. Bruce was true to his word and was sitting there waiting for him. Robin ran off and joined Batman in the car before tires squealed and the car pulled away.


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie was laying on the bed. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. After everything that had happened that day, it was hard. After probably about an hour of tossing and turning, she got back up.

She went down the stairs, but there seemed to be no sign of life in the mansion.

"Miss Garrison. What are you doing down here? I thought you went to bed." Alfred startled her as he came around a corner.

"please, Alfred. Call me Charlie."

"Well, Miss Charlie. What are you doing down here?" Alfred asked again.

"I couldn't sleep. Not after the day I had. I wondered if Bruce and Dick were still awake. Maybe we could play cards or something." she muttered.

"I'm afraid Master Bruce doesn't necessarily enjoy card games." Alfred made an inside joke with himself. "And I do believe he and Master Dick went out for the night."

"Well, do you like card games?" she asked.

"Me? I can't say that I've played any in years." Alfred mentioned.

"Well, I'm bored. I gotta do something." she tried.

"There's a tv in the den. Maybe after some television, you'll get tired enough to sleep." Alfred tried, not wanting to engage in any card games, even if he could find a deck of cards around here. Charlie sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right. TV always manages to do that." she muttered, walking off.

* * *

"Hey. I thought we were going to Charlie's house. Isn't it back that way?" Robin asked when they passed a turn.

"Yes. I'm going to the prison. I've got to double check and make sure it's Zucco who's really behind this." Batman explained.

"You're wasting time, Batman! In the time it takes us to drive to the prison and make sure he's not there, he could already kill somebody!" Robin partly yelled.

"Robin. We can't rush in blind, we've got to double check and make sure." Batman said.

He looked up suddenly and saw the bat light glowing on the clouds.

"The prison's going to have to wait." Batman said suddenly. He parked the car and they both shot their grappling hooks to catch onto the side of the nearest roof. They made their way to the bat signal.

"Commissioner." Batman greeted. The commissioner turned around to face them.

"Batman, we've got a situation." The commissioner started.

"We had a teacher get shot and killed this morning. Girl witnessed it. She's in a safe house now. We have no leads on this sniper. And then on another note, Tony Zucco was reported missing from the prison... they're not quite sure when he escaped."

Robin gave Batman a look. Batman turned back to the commissioner.

"Commissioner, there might be a good chance that these two cases are related." Batman started.

"How do you think, Batman?" The commissioner asked.

"That's what i hope to find out." Batman said.

"We'll be in touch."

With that, he and Robin left the rooftop.

"I hope you can figure something out." Gordon muttered, turning around and shutting the signal off.

* * *

Michael was putting stuff away for the night in the hotel room. Suddenly, his room door burst open, the door knob falling slightly out of place on the door. The blast threw him back.

"Mikey! So good to see you!" He was not amused by the clown prince of crime that skipped his way into the room.

"What do you want, Clown?" he spat, standing up, ready to fight.

"Oh, you of course. We were sent by an old friend of yours who would kill just to see you again!"

"Who?" Michael asked, arching an eyebrow but wanting to find out as much as possible.

"Why Tony, of course!" The Joker cackled.

"Tony Zucco!" Michael said knowingly.

"Well who else?" Joker said. "And who else to catch your charming daughter?" Joker said, egging him on.

"You liar. She's in a safe house." Michael snapped.

"How sure are you? Not all safe houses remain safe." The Joker said, grinning menacingly.

Michael grabbed out his cell phone, calling Charlie.

* * *

Charlie was curled up on the couch in the den. Alfred had brought her a blanket not too long ago.

She was just about to doze off when her cell phone rang in her pocket. She grabbed it out, answering.

"Hello?" she said.

"Charlie sweetie! Oh thank god." he muttered.

"Dad? what's wrong?" she asked, hearing his tone.

"Charlie-" he was cut off. There was a noise, her dad grunted and then there was nothing.

"Hello? Dad?"

"Hello Charlie." It wasn't her dad's voice, but a very manacing scary voice.

At this point, Alfred had come to stand beside her, concerned.

"Who are you! What do you want!" she screamed into the phone.

"I just wanted your daddy. His head served on a silver platter." said the demented soul on the other side of the line. Tears brimmed her eyes.

"Don't you dare touch a hair on his head!" she growled.

"Try to stop me. 322 Beckington Street. And don't even think about calling any cops. You have one hour. Don't be late, Charlie."

"No, Charlie don't-" her dad's voice was cut off by the line going dead.

"My word. Charlie, you look frazzled. Is everything okay?" Alfred asked, having heard the last bit of the conversation. She stared into space before shaking her head no.

"My dad... he's in trouble." she said slowly.

"What happened, Miss Charlie?" Alfred asked. She shook her head, seeming to snap out of it.

"I have to go." she said, standing up and throwing the blanket aside.

"Go where, Miss. You can't leave. This is a safe house. Your safe house. If you leave, you'll put yourself in danger." Alfred tried to reason, following her up the stairs.

"Yeah, well my dad's in danger now." she said, shutting the door to her room. Alfred stayed standing outside the door.

"Please, Charlie. If you go out there... you don't understand Miss. There are untold dangers in Gotham. Weirdos you wouldn't even care to meet. If whoever was on the other line promised you you'd get your father back if you showed up, you won't. You're walking right into a..." he stopped as the door opened. "...trap."

Charlie walked out of the door. She wore Black sweats, a black sweatshirt and she had a backpack swung across her shoulder. She was pulling her hair back into a pony tail and she did not look happy.

"Let whoever it is try to stop me, Alfred." she growled, shoving past him.

"Miss Charlie. Please. We can call the commissioner and..."

"No cops. That's what he said." she barked, heading out the door.

"Charlie, at least tell me where-"

"Good bye Alfred. If I don't come back, at least tell Bruce thanks for me. Even if i was only here for a few hours." she said, genuinely looking at him before walking out the door.

She stepped out, realizing she didn't necessarily have a ride to get downtown. She'd need a miracle if she was going to make it in an hour on foot. Then, she glanced at the car that was parked out front. Behind it sat a motorcycle.

"No way..." she muttered, walking over. She mounted it and started the engine. "Ok. Don't worry dad. I'm on my way!" she promised, taking off on the bike.

* * *

Batman and Robin arrived at Charlie's house. A cop car was parked out front, obviously stationed to watch the house.

Usually, by now, whoever was stationed would have at least gotten out to talk to him.

Batman noted this and walked over to the car cautiously.

"Oh god." Batman exclaimed, opening the car door quickly and pressing his fingers to the officer's neck.

"Oh no." Robin muttered behind him, seeing the expression frozen on the officer's face. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and his mouth was frozen into a huge, frightening smile.

"The joker's involved?" Robin asked. "How?"

"Zucco must have broken out and hired the joker to keep the police off his tail. Try not to make it too obvious that he had broken out and was after the Garrisons."

"He obviously has no clue who he's dealing with." Robin commented.

"You're right about that. Come on. The Joker might still be inside." Batman said, running for the front door. He kicked the door down, walking in cautiously.

"He was here, alright." Batman said, picking up a joker playing card for Robin to see. "he's gone now."

He walked a little further in before coming to a computer. He sat down, looking for anything that might lead to where Charlie's dad was.

"Hilton Hotel." Batman said out loud, getting the address.

"Come on. If Joker was here, he could very well have this information too. We have to hurry." Batman said, running out. Robin sighed, following after him.


	5. Chapter 5

Once back in the batmobile, a little yellow light was beeping. Batman pushed the button next to it.

"Ah, there you are Master Bruce."

"Alfred, what's wrong?" Batman asked, knowing Alfred had a reason for calling.

"Sir, Charlie got a rather unnerving phone call. I'm not sure what was said, but it sounded as if someone had her father, and they wanted her too. They threatened her father's life and she took off. I couldn't stop her." Alfred explained quickly.

"Did she say where she was going?" Batman asked.

"I tried. I couldn't get it out of her. Please try to find her, Master Bruce. She was walking right into a trap." Alfred said.

"We have a lead on the hotel her dad was staying at. We'll try and see if the kidnappers left any clues." Batman said, closing off the video feed abruptly.

"you don't think..."

"I do. The kidnapper is Joker." Batman said blandly.

"But that means."

"Exactly. We've gotta get to the hotel. There's got to be something we can use to find them. Before it's too late." Batman said as they took off for the hotel.

* * *

Charlie felt the wind whip around her hair. Her ears were getting cold from it but she didn't care. She glared ahead, heading for the address the kidnapper told her to go to. As she got closer to the address, she stopped the bike, deciding the walk the last couple of blocks. Better to be stealthy than to announce her arrival.

She arrived at the address and decided to go in through the ventilation system. She crawled in from the outside and worked her way through. She came to an opening and dropped down, hiding behind some boxes in the old abandoned warehouse. In the center was a light, shining on a tied up figure. Tony Zucco stood there, mercilessly beating whoever was tied up. She saw it was her dad and lost all control. She stepped from the shadows.

"Enough! What do you want to know! What isn't he telling you!" She screamed. Zucco's men moved to grab her but Zucco raised his hand stopping them, smiling to see her.

"Hey. Charlie. Haven't seen you in forever! My you've grown up lovely. You look just like your mom." Zucco commented.

"Enough, Zucco. It's me you want. Leave her out of this. She's all I have left." her dad said, and she could tell from the tone that he was very weak.

"All the better reason to include her." Zucco growled.

"What do you want, Zucco!" she growled again.

"Just to inflict pain on your father. The pain he caused me when he stole my promotion." he growled, glaring at Michael and punching him in the face.

"You're not even beating him for information! Coward! Beating up a tied up man!" Charlie growled, rushing forward. One of Tony's men stepped in the way. She upper cutted him, knocking him out of the way.

"You sonofabitch!" she growled, jumping on Tony. Tony looked surprised as the teenager pounced on him, punching him over and over again. Finally, he got a punch in, knocking her off of him. She looked dazed, but tried to get up and jump back on him. One of his men grabbed her from behind. She turned to fight, but all she saw was a fist coming towards her before everything went black.

* * *

Batman and Robin carefully squeezed by the ajar door, which apparently had been blown open. They walked in, looking around for any clues that might lead them to Michael and Charlie Garrison. They had to work fast, and they knew it. They began tearing through everything, anything that might help them.

"Look." Robin said, picking up a cell phone.

"They must have called her off this phone. Hold on." Batman said, attaching a device to the phone. It read through the phone and pretty soon it latched onto something.

"Last phone call made at 12:23 A.M. to 457-555-2323. Conversation being played..." It was like a recorded voice that reads a voice mail and Bruce was suddenly very glad that Lucius Fox had come up with such a device. It was definitely going to make their job a lot easier this time. They listened to message being played.

"Hello?" they heard Charlie's voice.

"Charlie sweetie. Oh thank god!" a voice they didn't recognize, but from the worry in it, it sounded like it must be her dad.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Charlie's voice made Robin cringe, knowing what was going to come of this conversation.

"Charlie-" Her dad's voice was cut off as a struggle was heard.

"hello? Dad?" her voice was frantic as she searched for his voice. She didn't hear it again.

"Hello Charlie."

"Joker." Batman said knowingly, recognizing the voice almost instantly.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Charlie's voice was demanding now.

"I just wanted your daddy. His head served on a silver platter."

"Sicko." Robin spat, feeling sorry that this had happened to Charlie.

"Don't you dare touch a hair on his head!" Charlie growled over the phone.

"Try to stop me. 322 Beckington Steet. And don't even think about calling any cops. You have one hour. Don't be late, Charlie." That was the joker's final word.

"No Charlie, don't-" the voice of her dad was cut off as the message quit playing.

"To repeat this conversation, press-" Batman cut the recorded voice off with a click of the device. He stuck it back in his utility belt as he looked at Robin.

"What kind of monster does this to just a teenager. Just a child!" Robin said, enraged. He was shaking with anger, feeling a sudden want to pound the clown's face in.

"Stay focused Robin. I'm just as upset as you are, but we can't let that control us right now. She's probably already there, or just getting there. She needs us. We need to get there, and fast." Batman said, heading for the window. They both grappled down to the batmobile and in an instant, they were off, heading for 322 Beckington Street.


	6. Chapter 6

"Wakey wakey, little squirrel." Charlie groaned, shaking her head. Her shoulders were in an uncomfortable position but when she tried to move them, she found she couldn't. Her hands were tied behind her back.

"There she is!" Zucco said, spitting in her face while he spoke. She shook her head, cringing away from him.

"Ah, what's the matter? Scared of Uncle Tony?" he asked.

"I'm not scared of you. I'm just disgusted by you." she smarted off at him. He glared, slamming her head into the pillar she was leaning against. She grimaced in pain.

"Charlie! You leave her alone Zucco!" she heard her dad shout from his spot on the chair. She looked up at him, and he didn't look good. Traces of blood here and there that had ran down either side of his face. One of his eyes was already puffing up.

"Maybe I won't. maybe I'll have some fun with the little Garrison." Zucco said, standing up straight and hovering over Charlie. Charlie stayed, leaning against the pillar.

Zucco then pulled out the gun, pointing it at Charlie.

"How about for every time either one of you says something to piss me off, I shoot a limb on your precious baby girl."

"Why? So you can kill her like you did her mother?" Michael snapped.

"What? You're the one that killed my mom!" Charlie glared. Zucco cocked the gun, grinning.

"I didn't like your tone, Garrison." Zucco said aiming at one of her arms. She was angry, suddenly kicking her foot up, knocking the gun from his hand.

She rolled backwards, moving her arms around so they were in front of her. She lunged at Zucco, but he knocked her off of him, considering his hands weren't bound. She got up and went to charge him again, but she was startled by a gunshot. She felt okay, but she turned to look at her dad. He was okay too, a worried expression on his face as he looked at her. They both sighed, relieved to see that the other was okay. She looked in the corner to see... her eyebrows raised in surprise to see the Joker standing in the corner.

His gun was raised in the air. He had just fired a warning shot to quiet them both down.

"Sit down you little brat!" Zucco took her by surprise, knocking her against the pillar again. She slid down it, though now her hands were in front of her.

"I hate it when people fight. We all just need to learn to get along!" the joker said, and Charlie suddenly recognized the voice over the phone.

"You're the one that kidnapped my dad!" she glared.

"Yes, alright. You caught me, skippy."

"Why are you involved?"

"Well, good ol Tony over there wanted to hide in my shadow. I take the heat, while he gets to beat up his old colleague." The Joker explained.

"Of course, I hadn't even realized they were in the same gang back in the day. Who's gang was it, Tony?" The Joker asked, seeming to try to switch to a different subject.

"Uh, Sal's? Sal Maroni." Tony said, confused by the question.

"Ah yes. Good old Sal. So, where is good old Sal hold up these days, Mikey?" The Joker asked, turning his attention back to Charlie's dad.

"I'm not telling the likes of you." Michael snapped, not caring what the Joker did to him.

"Oh yes, I forgot. You don't care what happens to you, so long as your boss stays safe and hidden. But what about your precious daughter?" The Joker asked, almost mockingly as he carelessly pointed the gun in Charlie's direction. Charlie's eyes widened.

"Don't say anything, Dad." Charlie said, not a quiver in her voice.

"You might want to say something, daddy." The Joker said darkly, cocking the gun. "Now where's Sal hold up?" he said. "I'm not going to ask again."

"Joker, this isn't why we brought them here! I just wanna make him pay for what he did to me..." Tony tried, suddenly realizing he made a mistake involving the Joker.

"Quiet down, Zucco!" Joker said, pointing the gun at him. Zucco's eyes widened as the gun went off unexpectedly. Zucco fell, and Charlie wasn't sure exactly where the bullet had struck him, but she could see he was still breathing.

"Now, where's Sal..." The Joker asked again, aiming back at Charlie. Charlie shook her head at her dad.

"Oh, silly me. I almost forgot my manners. Please?" The Joker said. He cocked the gun again.

"Okay, Okay. Sal's warehouse is across town. 1567 Bartholomew Ave." Michael finally said. Charlie shook her head at her father, worry creased in her eyebrows.

"Thanks, Daddy." Joker said. Then, unexpectedly, he turned the gun towards Michael. Michael's eyes widened with surprise.

"No!" Charlie screamed as a shot rang out. The chair Michael was tied to fell over and it broke under his weight as he was suddenly limp on the floor.

"Why! Why you sonofabitch! He told you what you wanted to know! You had no reason!" she screamed at him. The Joker shrugged nonchalantly.

"I can't stand tattle tales." he said, grinning slyly as he aimed the gun back at Charlie.

Charlie straightened up, leaning her head back, ready to take the blow. The Joker smiled, cocking the gun.

"Ready to go out like a hero then, huh?" he said. He went to pull the trigger, but was distracted by glass breaking above him.

In between him and Charlie landed Batman and Robin.

"You're finished Joker!" Batman growled.

"Oh, really? I thought we were just getting started." The Joker said with a cocky grin.

"Harley dear. We may need your giant hammer!" he yelled to the corner. Harley had apparently been sitting back there the whole time.

"No problem, Mr. J." she said, coming from the corner, swinging her mallet. Batman ducked, grabbing the mallet and spinning her around. She lost her balance, landing the crates nearby.

Robin saw that Batman was running after where the Joker had gone and turned his attention to Charlie, who had silent tears running down her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, cutting the rope that tied her hands together. She rubbed her wrists and looked up at him.

"I've been better." she muttered. She then turned her attention to the body that lay on the broken chair. "Dad." she breathed out, running over to him. She rolled him over. His eyes were closed, and blood oozed out and over his chest, adding to the already giant puddle of blood he lay in.

"Daddy, no!" she screamed, holding his torso in her arms, not caring that the blood was now running onto her hands.

"I'm sorry." Robin muttered, placing a hand on her shoulder. She let her dad's body drop as she burried her head into Robin's chest. He wrapped his arms around her comfortingly as she squeezed into him tighter.

"Oh my god. Is that Zucco?" Robin asked, looking over.

"Joker shot him before he shot my dad." she sniffed. Robin got up, leaving her there. He walked over and rolled Tony over. He was unconcious but still alive, for now. It would be so easy to leave him there. Leave him to bleed out. But, he wasn't made that way. No matter the bad that Zucco had done in his life, they had to make a valiant attempt to save him. Robin called the commissioner.

"Commissioner."

"Robin, where's Batman?" The commissioner asked, surprised to get a call from the sidekick.

"He's got his hands full with Joker. Listen, we're over at 322 Beckington Street. And you might want to bring a couple of ambulances. It doesn't look too good over here."

"Oh boy. Alright, we're on our way." The commissioner said before hanging up. He looked back to where Charlie had been hovering over her dad's body. She wasn't there anymore. He looked at the door that Batman had chased Joker out of. The crates where Harley had fell shifted.

"Mr. J!" Harley screamed, suddenly coming to. His attention turned back to her.

"oh no, you're staying right here." he said, cuffing her to a pipe.

"ugh. What's a girl to do." she muttered, sitting down and accepting her fate.

* * *

The rain was coming down hard outside. Charlie looked ahead of her and saw Batman trying to apprehend the Joker, right beside the canal. The Joker fired one stray shot, then another before Batman kicked the gun out of his hand.

"It's over, Joker! You're going back to Arkham!" Batman growled.

"Oh, am I!" The Joker said, his eyes wide and bloodshot. As batman got close to him to apprehend him, Joker whipped out a knife, slicing his arm.

Batman grunted, grabbing the cut. His eyes widened as he dodged another blow from the dagger. He lost his footing and fell, the Joker landing on top of him.

At this point, Robin ran out, seeing Charlie ahead of him. The he saw the Joker sitting on top of Batman.

"Ready to meet your maker, Batman!" The Joker yelled, holding the dagger up high.

"Batman!" Robin yelled, realizing he wasn't going to get to his aid in time.

Joker went to plunge the dagger down into Batman's chest but was suddenly knocked off of him. Charlie sat on top of the Joker, the knife having been knocked free of his hands. She punched him over and over again. When she finally stopped, she glared down at him. His eye was beginning to puff up.

"Charlie, stop." she heard Batman behind her, but she didn't care.

"Don't stop Charlie. Keep going. Kill me! And then realize how good it feels to take a life!" he said, a chuckle behind his words. She glared, punching him again. She stopped and stood up, taking a few steps back from the clown.

"Are you alright?" Batman asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him.

"Physically, yes." she muttered, still looking down. He tilted her chin up to look at him.

He rested both hands on either shoulder as he looked at her sincerely.

"I'm sorry about all this, Charlie." he said. She smiled at him, knowing he was at least attempting to make her feel better. Suddenly, her eyes went wide as she gasped in pain.

"no!" Robin shouted, running towards them.

"Shouldn't have stopped, Charlie." The Joker whispered in her ear as he twisted the blade around in her back. Batman moved Charlie out of the way and head butted the Joker. The Joker fell back from the blow, and the Batman laid another punch into him. The Joker fell to the ground. Batman then took Joker and turned him around so he was on his stomach. He put his hands together and handcuffed him.

He turned back to see Robin holding Charlie in his arms.

"Charlie, stay with us! You're going to be alright."

Charlie's eyes were wide as she struggled for breath. Sirens were getting closer to their location. A puddle of blood was beginning to form around her and Robin, and Robin's normally green gloves were beginning to stain red.

"Charlie!" he said, shaking her when her eyes began to close. "You're not giving up! You hear me?" Robin commanded.

Suddenly, the commissioner ran up to them.

"Oh my god." he said, seeing who Robin was holding. His attention then turned to the Joker, laying on the ground. He went over, jerking the scum up and forcing him to walk to the armored car.

"Oh, come on, Jimmy. Learn to take a joke!" Joker said, letting a laugh escape.

"Joke's on you, Joker! You're going back to Arkham!" Jim said, shoving him into the armored vehicle and shutting the door behind him. He turned back to see the paramedics were already rushing Charlie into an ambulance on the stretcher.

"What happened?" Gordon asked. Batman ignored him for a moment, turning his attention to another set of paramedics.

"Come on, there's more in here." he said, leading them into the warehouse.

"Oh god." The commissioner said, having followed them. The paramedics check Charlie's dad first and lowered their heads, knowing they couldn't do anything for him. They laid a sheet over his body. They then moved to Zucco.

"He's not conscious, but he's still alive! Let's get him out of here!" said the paramedic who seemed to be in charge.

"What happened, Batman?" Jim asked, turning his attention to him.

"I'm not sure what happened to Zucco or Garrison. They were... the Joker shot them before we got here." Batman explained. "Charlie saved me from the Joker. She could have killed him from the beating she laid into him, but she didn't." Gordon could tell Batman was actually very emotional about this. He was grateful towards her for saving him. "When she stopped and gained control, he took his chance and... he stabbed her in the back. Like a coward." Batman was actually slightly choking up at this.

Robin stood silent behind him, not able to mutter a word.

"I suppose I should call Bruce. He might find his attendant is missing." Gordon muttered.

"Bruce who?" Batman asked. The commissioner turned away from him.

"She was staying with Bruce Wayne. I suppose she probably waited for them to fall asleep before leaving. I hope they won't mind getting a phone call this late at night."

He turned back around when Batman didn't reply to see that both Batman and Robin and disappeared.

"Happens every time." Gordon muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. He had quite the mess to clean up here.


	7. Chapter 7

Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne made their way up the stairs out of the old grandfather clock that sat in place of a door.

"Master Bruce. I'm glad you're home. I just received a most disturbing phone call..." before Alfred could go on anymore, Bruce gritted his teeth and flipped the table over.

"oh my." Alfred said, his eyes going wide.

"I should have done something! She was right there! Two feet from me, and he... the coward!" Bruce shouted, toppling over a bookcase.

"Come on, Bruce. Pull it together. It's not your fault." Dick tried.

"Please, Master Bruce. Master Dick is right. You can't blame yourself for things that are out of your control." Alfred agreed with Dick.

"it was in my control! I was stupid! Stupid and careless! I let my guard down, and someone got hurt in the process!" Bruce said, not knocking anything over but now just standing, huffing and puffing.

"Bruce, come on. We thought he was beaten. Nobody could have predicted..."

"But that's where I made my mistake, Dick. The Joker is unpredictable. I should have known he'd have one more trick up his sleeve. I should have made sure the knife was out of his reach. Something! Something was overlooked, and something could have been done. Maybe if I would have waited to comfort her until we were far away from danger."

Dick didn't know what else to say. He walked over, placing a hand on Bruce's shoulder comfortingly. Bruce responded by pulling Dick into a huge bear hug.

"Dick, this is why I worry sometimes bringing you along. If I slip up, if you slip up or even if we celebrate too soon, like what happened tonight... Dick, Charlie's injuries may be fatal. And if she does survive, the scarring tonight will have on her... She became an orphan tonight." Bruce explained.

"Oh dear." Alfred said from the sidelines, completely out of the loop of what had happened that night.

"I'm going down to the hospital."

"I'll come too." Dick volunteered. "I won't be able to sleep now anyways." he added. Bruce lightly smiled.

"Come on, partner." he said, pulling his keys from his pocket.

"We'll let you know when we know anything, Al." Dick called back and soon, they were both out the door.

* * *

"Bruce! Good to see ya again, although it could be under better circumstances." The commissioner muttered the last part.

"Hi Jim. I'm sorry. I must have fell asleep..." Bruce started.

"Bruce, don't blame yourself. She was determined to leave the house tonight to find her father's kidnapper." the commissioner said.

"Is that why she left?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. All we know so far is that she got a call from her father's cell phone. We're thinking The Joker used Michael's phone to call her and lure her out of safety. The rest of the story is up to her. All I know is when we got there, Batman and Robin had The Joker in cuffs, and Michael Garrison and Tony Zucco had been shot."

"Tony Zucco?" Dick asked, surprised.

"Sorry Dick, didn't see you there." The commissioner said, looking like he wished he hadn't said anything.

"It's fine. You said he was shot?" Dick asked, and the commissioner detected a hint of hope to his voice.

"Yes. But not fatally. Waste of time in my opinion, but they're performing surgery on him to try to save him, the worthless scum. He's the cause of all this." The commissioner muttered.

"But I thought you said _the joker_ kidnapped her father..." Bruce trailed off.

"We think they were working together, or more Zucco was working under Joker to try to cover his tracks. Might have worked too had the Joker not decided to take matters into his own hands."

"What about Charlie?" Bruce asked, and the commissioner saw the worry in his eyes. Jim looked away, closing his eyes. He sighed before looking back at Bruce.

"She was stabbed in the back." he trailed off. Both Bruce and Dick gasped as would be expected from someone who didn't know about the trauma.

"How?" Bruce pushed.

"From what I understand, she saved the Batman from the Joker. They thought he was out of the game, and he wasn't. He jumped up when they weren't looking and..." the commissioner trailed off, looking away.

"Oh my god. What kind of a sicko would do that? To a kid!" Dick said from behind Bruce.

"A deranged one, son." was all the commissioner said.

"Commissioner, are we able to see her?" Bruce asked.

"She's in surgery right now, or last I heard ten minutes ago." Bruce hung his head at the commissioners words.

"I'll let them know you're in the waiting room, Bruce." Jim said, giving him a friendly smile. Bruce returned the smile and turned around with Dick, walking for the waiting room. Bruce stopped and turned back.

"Commissioner?" Bruce called. Jim turned to look at him.

"You mentioned before, that both Tony Zucco and Michael Garrison had been shot..." Bruce trailed off, cocking his head at the commissioner.

"Michael was killed instantly." Jim sighed out. "As of tonight, Charlie's an orphan." he said, and Bruce could have sworn he saw a tear run down the commissioner's cheek. Without another word, Gordon disappeared behind the doors to the ER. Bruce looked back at Dick before they both walked to the waiting room.

"What a night..." Dick muttered.

"You said it, Dick."

"This isn't right, Bruce. You know it, and I know it. We both know it's Zucco who deserves to be shot and dead and Charlie's dad who should be on that operating table being saved."

"I know, Dick. But it's already done. We can't change anything. I should have listened to you." Bruce muttered.

"When?" Dick asked, suddenly confused.

"When you told me it would be a waste of time to head for the prison." he muttered.

"Bruce..."

"No, Dick. We should have gone right away to the house. If we had just gotten to Michael before The Joker."

"Hey, if we hadn't have gone the way we had, we wouldn't have seen the bat signal. We would have driven all the way to the prison for nothing. Instead, Gordon saved a trip, the way I see it." Dick tried.

"You really think so?" Bruce looked up at Dick, and Dick could see moisture hanging in Bruce's eyes.

"I know so."

"I still know there's something I could have done differently." Bruce's agitated tone bothered Dick. "Maybe if I would have just... cuffed him right after she stood up. If I would have gotten between them somehow. Such a rookie move."

"Bruce, why are you beating yourself up over this? We all make mistakes." Dick tried.

"Mistakes that cost people their lives? She's in there right now fighting for her life, and I can't do anything but sit out here and... and feel helpless."

"Bruce. You've gotta stop beating yourself up over this." Dick tried.

"I'm going to make it right. When she gets better, I'm going to offer a room a the mansion, and she will be welcome to stay as long as she needs to." Bruce decided.

"Good idea, chief." Dick said, glad Bruce was finally looking at a bright side.

They sat in silence for a while, Bruce waiting patiently for Charlie to get out of surgery. Dick silently hoping and praying that Charlie survived the surgery. He knew that if she died, Bruce would never forgive himself.


End file.
